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GVSU receives $1 million grant to support STEM students

Posted on December 04, 2017

A new project at Grand Valley will financially help academically
talented, low-income students seeking an education in science or
engineering, while providing them with mentoring and hands-on learning
and research opportunities. The project received a $1 million grant
from the National Science Foundation’s Scholarships in Science,
Technology, Engineering and Mathematics program (S-STEM).

Retaining and Inspiring students in Science and Engineering (RISE),
will create a set of progressively increasing four-year scholarships
for at least 50 Grand Valley students who may not otherwise be able to
afford a college education.

RISE will also immerse scholarship recipients in a cohort with
faculty mentors, and provide them with experiential learning
opportunities, such as summer research and internships, and career
preparation tactics.

RISE will build on a previously successful S-STEM program at Grand
Valley called “Mentoring, Academic Support and Scholarships for
Science Students” (MAS4). While MAS4 targeted juniors and seniors,
RISE will offer scholarship opportunities to students in all grade
levels at Grand Valley, with an emphasis on incoming first-year students.

“Research shows that up to 60 percent of students who begin their
freshman year as STEM majors leave the STEM disciplines in their first
two years,” said Deborah Herrington, professor of chemistry and
associate department chair, and RISE co-principal investigator. “This
attrition from STEM is highest for low-income and underrepresented
students. Many students who change their major are capable of success
in a STEM field, but for financial and time reasons, they change to
disciplines that may appear to require less time and less structure.”

Through an in-depth evaluation, the RISE project team will
investigate the structures of the program that help support student
retention and graduation, road blocks to graduation for students
coming from low-income households, and student perceptions of the
value of the different elements of RISE’s experiential learning opportunities.

Herrington said the project team is working to open the application
process in May with the program beginning in fall 2018.

The RISE project will be co-led by Herrington; Paul Plotkowski, dean
of the Seymour and Esther Padnos College of Engineering and Computing;
Charlie Standridge, associate dean of the Padnos College; and Jerry
Johnson, associate professor of social work.

Various departments at Grand Valley will provide support during the
development and implementation of RISE, including Financial Aid,
Office of Undergraduate Research and Scholarship, Career Center,
Center for Scholarly and Creative Excellence, and Registrar’s Office.

RISE will also enlist area community colleges, such as Grand Rapids
Community College, Northwestern Michigan College, and Muskegon
Community College, to help the project team identify potential RISE
scholars at their institutions and provide mentoring for those
students before they enroll at Grand Valley.